Tim Toone Using Time to Make Name for Himself

Tim Toone Using Time to Make Name for Himself

Jay Adams

Published August 26, 2012 at 5:47 PM

By the time the Falcons added relative unknown Tim Toone to the roster, the team had already been through OTAs, a minicamp and a few practices of training camp.

Looking like just another name to pad the numbers, Toone fell into line with the wide receivers and did his best to learn the offense as quickly as possible when he got here. It didn’t take too long for him to try to make a name for himself despite finding himself at a crowded position late in the game.

“I had to learn the whole offense. I had to try to understand it and understand the techniques (wide receivers coach) Terry (Robiskie) was trying to teach us,” Toone said after Sunday’s practice. “I’ve been to a few different teams, starting fresh every time, so the first thing I did when I came out here was just run as fast as I can and try to learn the routes as quick as I can.”

If you caught Friday night’s game against Miami, you no doubt caught Toone’s fantastic touchdown in the second half that put the nail in the coffin. Sitting out in man coverage by himself, Toone was checked into the deep route by quarterback Dominique Davis, who then found Toone with a perfectly placed pass.

The two connect in practice all the time on the same route — Davis with his arm and Toone with his blazing speed. While much of the attention was on Davis at the time, as he continues his magnificent preseason, Toone stood out and cemented his name with the fanbase on the play.

Drafted as the final pick of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions — earning him the title “Mr. Irrelevant” — Toone spent time in Detroit before bouncing around to Buffalo and Denver and finally landing in Atlanta at the start of camp.

With a wide receiver battle raging on right now with no clear leader for the open and coveted No. 5 spot, Toone finds himself right in the mix as a valuable receiver and viable return man.

“It’s nice knowing there’s a chance. If there is or isn’t, it doesn’t change my mindset and how I’m going to work toward how I want to play and how I want to present myself,” said Toone, who added that he’s out of practice squad eligibility. “If it’s not here and I’m not able to make that spot, other teams are able to see what you can do and you might have a chance somewhere else.”